Half way through Term 1 of 2021
Date: 12 Oct 2021
Half way through Term 1 of 2021
We hope the start of this academic year has been easier than the last 18 months and you are experiencing more stability in the classroom. Covid has not gone away, but we are all learning new strategies to cope with it and trying to be as normal as possible. We also know the majority of current cases are in young people, so schools are being extra cautious. Vaccinations of young people is the latest agenda and we know that many parents and pupils have concerns around being vaccinated. Chameleon PDE have created some lessons around the importance of being vaccinated. The free lesson pack can be easily downloaded. It is suitable for 12-15 year olds. The range of activities can be edited to suit your teaching style, the lessons can be delivered in tutor time or even assemblies. If you have an account with Chameleon (free or subscription) the lesson pack can be found in your dashboard. Otherwise, sign up for a free subscription (check spam for confirmation email) and then download the lesson pack and any other free packs or guidance you might find helpful. https://www.chameleonpde.com/users/sign_up?signup_path=free
Recently we have added several new resources to the Healthy Schools website under resources in the PSHE section around RSHE teaching, which include:
- Gender identity,
- KS3-5 lessons around abuse – Something’s not right,
- Teaching materials and lesson plans on stalking and coercive behaviour for Secondary schools from the Alice Ruggles Trust
We are promoting some free training, ‘Brook Sexual Behaviour Traffic Light Tool’, for school staff to understand and respond appropriately to sexual behaviours in children and young people. The Tool provides characteristics and examples of green, orange and red light behaviours, broken down by five age groups within 0-18 years. The tool, takes into account the developmental age and ability level of the child or young person (and others involved) as well as the location, frequency and nature of the behaviour. This can help guide the decision to whether school professionals make a referral to the Harmful Sexual Behaviours (HSB) Project for assessment.
The PSHE association is also offering a range of training and CPD sessions on various topic, please look to see if there is anything that will support you and your school.
Also recently added in the PSHE resources are the results of the the How Are You? Survey, executive summaries, for Year 7, Year 9 and Year 11 . It’s a shame not all secondary schools participated in this survey but the data we have collected, shows an emerging picture of Swindon student’s behaviour. There is a distinct difference between the results of the 2019 survey and those gathered this year. The pandemic has clearly impacted young people’s wellbeing. We are hoping to plan our PSHE leads network meetings this year to focus on the needs highlighted in the survey. However as always we are happy to facilitate issues you want to address.
For our primary colleagues we have a lovely resource on handwashing, Lifebuoy Soaper Heroes to encourage good hygiene habits which includes a virtual assembly video from Dr Ranj, stickers, posters and take home materials. There is also a competition which will bring prizes for the students and John Lewis / Amazon vouchers for teachers. Good luck and we look forward to seeing Swindon Schools as winners.
On a final note remember to email us on; swindonhealthyschool@swindon.gov.uk, with any new ideas or simply with any query you may have around supporting health and wellbeing of the young people of Swindon.
